Sri Lanka, Oct. 14 -- The Colombo High Court yesterday (13) scheduled four cases filed by the Bribery Commission (CIABOC) against former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena for trial. The charges stem from an allegation that he caused a financial loss to the government while serving as the Chairman of the National Lotteries Board (NLB) in 2006 by obtaining vehicles on a rental basis.

The cases were taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail.

The cases were initially called following a motion filed by the defendant Sarana Gunawardena, through his counsel, to explore the possibility of concluding the cases with a guilty plea and a summary settlement.

However, when the cases were called in open court, the defendant Sarana Guna...